Wrench-lock.



F. E. & e. w; SMITH.

WRENCH LOCK. APPLICATION FILED MAR. I1. 1515.

, Patented July 27, 1915.

. l/VVE/VTOR Frank ESmirh fie'orge W. Smi H1 WITNESSES ATTORNEYS Q i FRANK E. SMITH AND GEORGE W. SMITH, 0F MIDDLETOWN, NEW YORK.

WRENCH-LOCK.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

llateiitetl July 27, 11115.

Application filed March 11, 1915. Serial No. 13,624.

provide an easily controlled device or mechanism for preventing the undesirable movement of the movable jaw when it is necessary or required for such jaw to be retained in any predetermined position to which it may be adjusted as, for instance, for repeated operation upon the same nut or upon a number of nuts of the same size.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention willhereinafter be more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the drawings forming a part of this spemfication in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a well known form of wrench showing our invention applied thereto, a portion of the wrench being broken away on a vertical plane corresponding to the broken line 11 of Fig. 3; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a top plan view; and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section on the line 41 of Fig. 1.

The several partsof. this device may be made of any suitable materials, and the rela' tive sizes and proportions, as well as the general design of the mechanism, may be varied to a considerable extent without departing from the spirit of the invention hereinafter more fully described and claimed. v

Referring more particularly to the drawings, we show a type of monkey wrench in which is a fixed jaw 10 and a movable jaw 11. The movable jaw is shown provided with a shank 12 extending at right anglesto the active face of the jaw 11 and provided with a series of teeth 13 cooperating with a worm 14L journaled upon a pivotpin 15 arranged parallel to said shank.

W'ithout extending the description of the wrench mechanism Peruse unnecessarily, it may be noted that the features thus far described are or may be of any well known'or suitable construction and furthermore that our invention is adapted to be applied to various specific types of monkey wrenches .or other wrenches which involve relatively fixed and movable jaws and controlled by a rotating screw or worm. I

It is well known that after a wrench is used and laid aside, thereis a common tendency for the screw or worm to be moved or rotated with a corresponding variation in adjustment of the movable jaw of the wrench. Our purpose is to provide a simple and reliable form of locking device to prevent rotation of the worm and hence a change of adjustment of the wrench. To this end we provide for the worm in circu lar series of teeth or notches indicated at 16 and shown herein as beingarranged in a circle around one end of the worm. At 17 we show a keeper in the form of a lever of the first class pivoted at 18 in a cavity 19 formed inthe handle or shank portion of the wrench adjacent the worm 14:. One end of the keeper constitutes a finger 17 adapted to enter any one of the notches 16, and p when in such position will prevent rotation of the worm. The other end of the lever projects through a slot 20 beyond the wrench handle and terminates in a knob or other suitable finger piece 21 whereby the lever may be swung far enough around its axis 18 to throw the finger 17 into or out of.

locking engagement with the worm. As a suitable means for holding the keeper in either position to which it may be moved by the operation of the finger piece 21, we provide an angular extension 22 in the form of a triangle having its altitude extending from the pivot 18 substantially at a right angle to the main or longer axis of the lever. The point of the projection 22 cooperates with a leaf spring 23 having its ends seated in notches at one end of the cavity 19. The spring permits the point of the extension 22 to ride over the angle formed in the middle portion of, the spring, but the spring has force enough to prevent the accidental movement of the keeper in either direc tion. The finger piece 21, being within easy reach of the operators thumb or finger while manipulating the wrench, may be easily operated to either lock or unlock the wrench as occasion may require. If the lock is not needed at any particular time, it will be swung out of contact with the worm and will so remain until it is returned to locking positionby positive operation of the keeper. The cavity 19 is closed preferably by a face plate 24.

\Ve claim:

1. In a wrench, the combination with relatively fixed and movable jaws and a worm cooperating with the movable jaw and movable around an axis parallel to the direction of movement thereof, of a keeper for the worm comprising a lever having at one end a finger adapted to engage the worm and 'having a projection extending from the lever pivot at an angle to the main axis of the lever, said extension terminating in a point, and a leaf spring having constant cooperation with said extension pointand serving to hold the lever in either its looking or unlocking position.

2. In a wrench comprising relatively fixed and movable jaws and a worm coi'iperating with the movable jaw for controlling its position, said worm having a series of teeth arranged in a circle around one end thereof. a keeper pivoted adjacent the worm and including a finger-at one end adapted to move into the space between any two adjacent teeth aforesaid. said keeper having a projection extending from the pivot thereof at an angle to the main part of the keeper, and a spring cooperating with said projection and serving to hold the keeper in either its locking or unlocking position.

I In a wrencln the combination with relativcl v fixed and movable jaws and a worm coi'iperating with the movable jaw and serving'to control its position. said worm having a circular series of notches around one end of a keeper adjacent the worm and in- 

